Zoho Corp expands R&D with new campus in Kottarakkara, acquires Kerala start-up Asimov Robotics

(left) Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and (second from right) Finance Minister KN Balagopal at the inaugural ceremony of the Zoho Kottarakkara R&D facility

Zoho Corporation on Wednesday has inaugurated a new campus in Kottarakkara, Kerala. The company has also acquired Asimov Robotics and partnered with Kerala Startup Mission for its deep tech Product Studio initiative and formed associations with start-ups and organisations for a range of research and development (R&D) collaborations.

The new campus was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Finance Minister KN Balagopal. Shailesh Davey, Co-founder and CEO, Zoho Corp.; Tony Thomas, Co-founder and CEO, Zoho US, and Sridhar Vembu, Co-founder and Chief Scientist, Zoho Corp. were present at the ceremony.

The Kottarakkara campus, which has a seating capacity of 250, will initially be dedicated to AI and robotics research. Zoho Corp. had opened its office in the town in 2024, and has been hiring locally and from neighbouring towns and villages.

For the first three months, the trainees undergo a skill development course, where they can choose what they want to specialise in, with coding in C, C++ and Python being mandatory skills across disciplines. After three months of skill development, the trainees work on a variety of projects for six months and are evaluated based on their problem-solving abilities and initiatives. Those who successfully complete the second stage join Zoho’s workforce. So far, 40 employees have been hired through this programme.

Push for local

Zoho Corp. has also acquired Asimov Robotics, a company founded in 2012 and specialising in providing robotic solutions to industries for addressing hazardous, inefficient, and repetitive scenarios. Asimov Robotics and its employees would continue their R&D efforts from the Kottarakkara office with guidance and mentorship from Zoho’s team.

“Our Kottarakkara office will be dedicated to enhancing our R&D projects in various fields starting with AI and Robotics. Apart from our own work in these fields, we also will be collaborating with like-minded deep tech organisations to further amplify our efforts,” said Shailesh Davey, CEO and Co-founder, Zoho Corp. 

“This collaboration with Zoho would be a significant step in strengthening Kerala’s local ecosystems by enabling intellectual property creation, product research, and development from rural areas. The Zoho campus at Kottarakkara, currently nearing completion, stands as a pilot model for this transformative approach,” said Balagopal.

Published on July 2, 2025